I share the real-life stories that inspired my books, as well as other travel adventures, and posts on the food, history, and culture of the Southwest United States.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

A #MFRWHooks for Counterfeits: An Art Theft #Romance & #Suspense

Jenny returns to her grandparents’ art camp in a remote New
Mexico town after her grandmother’s sudden death. That night she wakes to the
noise of intruders. What do the strangers want? As more bizarre events unfold,
Jenny realizes the people she thought she knew are not what they seem – least
of all Rob, an old friend whose past may be coming back to haunt them all.Counterfeits is romantic suspense in the Southwest that
will interest fans of Terry Odell, Mary Stewart, Lillian Stewart Carl, and
Barbara Michaels.

“Counterfeits is
the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary
Stewart’s Moonspinners, and Kris Bock
used all the things I love about this genre. Appealing lead
characters, careful development of the mysterious danger facing one or both of
those characters, a great location that is virtually a character on its own,
interesting secondary characters who might or might not be involved or
threatened, and many surprises building up to the climax.” - 5 Stars, Roberta at
Sensuous Reviews blog

Jenny’s
rolling suitcase bumped up the porch steps. Once, twice, three times, like a
knock that would never be answered. Tears stung her eyes in the cold night air.
How many times had she rushed to this door with a sense of coming home? Growing
up, she had spent every summer at her grandparents’ art camp. She hadn’t been
back as often in the last ten years, but it still felt more like home than any
place else in the world. And now she couldn’t bring herself to reach for the
doorknob.

She
took a shuddering breath and turned away to gaze up at the dark sky. Stars
splashed across the moonless night, so many stars she could hardly pick out the
constellations. The band of the Milky Way sparkled like a streak of glitter
paint on velvet paper. She had gazed up at that sky a million times, and yet it
filled her with awe. After a decade living among the lights of New York City,
it was easy to forget that nature had her own Great White Way.

She
shivered. During her summers in the north-western New Mexico mountains, nights
had typically been mild, even at over 6000 feet elevation. Now in early March,
at nearly midnight, the temperature had to be dropping toward freezing. Maybe
that was why the vast, chilled sky seemed so distant and lonely.

Battleship Rock, Jemez Springs, NMnear the art camp in Counterfeits

Jenny
leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. She was so tired. The last
two days had been a blur of grief, desperate planning, and travel across the
country. But she’d been tired before that, for months, maybe even years. She
couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t felt exhausted, discouraged,
hopeless. And now the person who could always make her feel better was gone.

She
hadn’t made plans beyond getting here. Thank goodness for Ms. Lucena, the camp
secretary, who was handling all the funeral arrangements. Jenny simply didn’t
have it in her to tackle that as well.

Maybe
she’d take a few extra days and rest. But she couldn’t bring herself to enter
her grandparents’ house and go to bed, knowing she’d be alone. When her
grandfather had died two years before, her heart had broken. Now her
grandmother was gone as well.

Jenny
tried not to imagine her grandmother’s last moments, when the car she was
driving had skidded off the twisty mountain road two days before. She tried to
blank out all thoughts, all grief. She took a ragged breath, the frigid air
searing her lungs, and released it slowly, hoping to empty her mind as well.

Her
thoughts refused to quiet, while her heart ached with emptiness, a dark hole as
vast and cold as the night sky.

***

Jenny
rose from sleep slowly, her body resisting. She could see nothing in the pitch
black. Where was she? She blinked, trying to make sure her eyes were really
open.

Memories
broke through the fog. The phone call, the rush across country, the late
arrival. Crawling into bed in her grandparents’ upstairs guest room. She
groaned and pulled up the blanket. Morning must be hours away, given the
darkness.

The
old house creaked, but no sounds drifted in from outside. Maybe that’s what
woke her; she was used to the murmur of city sounds all night long. Who’d have
thought that would become normal?

Her
head pounded. Probably dehydration from the high elevation and dry air. She
should get up, drink a glass of water, take a couple of aspirin. Her head would
thank her in the morning. If only she could make herself move.

The
house creaked again, followed by a rhythmic sound – like footsteps. Jenny
jerked upright, her ears straining. Had she heard a voice?

She
shook her head. She must still be half asleep, dreaming. Imagining her
grandparents were still here. Wishful thinking.

Downstairs,
a door closed. Jenny clutched the blanket. Imagination be damned. She was not
alone.

Visit all the Book Hooks from
#MFRWHooks - You might find your next great read!

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance
with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the
Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest
ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic
elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico
desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to
reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The
Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger
help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.